During a move or renovation project in an office or other setting, many different types of articles and pieces of furniture are often required to be moved. Such items can range from boxes to shelves, desks, filing cabinets and various other items. Although these items can be moved manually by a mover or contractor, a dolly or similar type of apparatus is generally preferred, as it makes the move less physically demanding and is often quicker.
Depending on the nature of the article or piece of furniture to be transported, different types of dollies may be utilized. For example, a standard upright vertical dolly may be used for transporting boxes, whereas other larger items such as shelves may be placed on a horizontal cart-style dolly for transportation. By contrast, lateral filing cabinets or other items having wheels on the bottom and the ability to roll, may be moved with dollies similar to those which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,880,837 to Nandram et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 3,024,036 to Reynolds, both of which essentially consist of a flat platform mounted on four wheels and having side walls to prevent the filing cabinet from sliding off the platform.
Having to rely on several types of dollies to complete a move or to transport and relocate various items during a renovation project is not ideal, as it is cumbersome and time consuming for a tradesperson or mover to transport multiple pieces of equipment to a job site. Moreover, storage of such equipment is also a concern, as additional equipment requires additional space for storage purposes.
The use of multiple different dollies to perform tasks also reduces efficiency, as the user must constantly switch back and forth between different pieces of equipment. Moreover, having multiple pieces of equipment on site can create a cluttered working environment, which can be a safety concern and the way of ongoing renovations and work.
Thus, there is a need to provide a more versatile dolly that is capable of supporting and transporting a variety of different types of articles by a user so as not to necessitate the use of numerous dollies or pieces of equipment to perform a job.